


tongue tied

by celestialbisexual



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Compulsion, Gen, but it's basically just elias's weird crush on the archivist, for now, some implied eye trauma, there's like a little jon/elias if you squint, threats of major character death but don't worry everyone's fine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-08 01:40:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14094249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestialbisexual/pseuds/celestialbisexual
Summary: Jon tries to get answers. Elias enjoys it, until he doesn't.





	tongue tied

**Author's Note:**

> Man I can't wait for every half-formed theory that I put in this gets jossed

Even if Elias hadn’t known Jon coming, he would have felt the aura of rage that preceded him into Elias’s office. Elias sighed. He understood, intellectually, why Jon was upset. Elias could remember, distantly, his own fear and rage as the Eye changed him from a human to something that they could use. It was a difficult process, to say the least. Still, it hurt to have Jon treat him like some sort of villain, when everything Elias did was for his benefit. 

“Elias.” Elias glanced up at Jon and smiled, gesturing for him to sit down. 

“How can I help you Jon?” 

Jon snorts, and remains standing. Elias resists the urge to roll his eyes. “You could start by telling me what’s going on before I walk into a death trap.” 

“If it had been a death trap, Jon, you wouldn’t be standing here.” Elias says. “You survived, as did Ms. Tonner, and you gained some important information about the weaknesses of the Stranger. I don’t see what you have to complain about.”

Jon glares. “I am complaining about the fact that Daisy and I were nearly killed to retrieve information that you already have.” 

“As I have explained to you repeatedly, Jon, I cannot simply tell you.” 

Jon laughs bitterly. “Right, because I need to learn how to become the Archivist if I am to succeed, right?”

Elias raises an eyebrow at his tone, but simply says, “precisely.”

Jon’s opens his mouth, then closes it again. His expression shifts from furious to contemplative. 

“Alright, fine.” He cocks his head at him. “Elias, how do I stop the Unknowing?”

The compulsion runs through him, a tingling electricity that runs from the base of his spine to his throat, gathering in his mouth and dancing on his tongue. It combines with the Beholding’s elation at the strength of Their Archivist and his own pride at Jon’s growing abilities. He doesn’t bother to hide his smile. “You really are getting better at that Jon. Soon you’ll be able to-”

“Why does the Stranger want to get into our reality?”

The same pull, stronger this time. Elias finds himself sitting up straighter. He shakes his head, smile slipping. Jon just narrows his eyes and pushes on. “How did Gertrude hide herself from you?”

“Stop.” It was a mistake to speak, now all of the other words are pushing against the cage of his mouth, trying to fly to the Archivist. 

“Where are the tapes Gertrude was hiding? What were you afraid Leitner would tell me? How many Aspects are there? How long have I been claimed by the Beholding?” Elias is standing now, his nerves crackling with pain/pleasure that threatens to overwhelm him. He closes his eyes and sees white behind them. He is furious. He is hard. He wants to stop Jon, and he wants Jon to keep going until Elias splits apart before him, everything laid bare. He shakes, gripping the edge of his desk with white knuckles. His Master roars, louder than he has heard them in this lifetime, and Elias cannot tell if they are pleased or angry. 

“Why did it choose me? Did I ever have a choice? How can I get free of the Eye?” 

“You are Ours. We will not let you go, not ever.” The Eye roars, grabbing Jon by the throat. They gentle their grip, run a thumb over his jugular. “You are too dear to Us to ever be released.”

Elias slumps over the desk, hand sliding from Jon’s throat to his shirt, clutching at it to stay somewhat upright. He can feel wetness slipping down his cheeks, though he can’t tell if it’s tears or blood. Jon puts a hand on his back, rubbing ineffectually between his shoulder blades. 

“Was that…?” Elias shoots him a glare, hand tightening in his shirt. Jon shuts his mouth. 

Elias straightens up and wipes his eyes. Red stains his fingers. Blood, then. “I believe you have a job to do, Jon?”

Jon backs away the second Elias releases him. “Yes. Right. Sorry. I’ll be… going then.” 

Elias waits until he’s at the door before calling out. “Jon, if you ever do that again-”

“You’ll kill me?” John asks, ghost of a smile on his lips. 

Elias does not smile. “I’ll kill Georgie. In front of you.”

Jon pales. He nods tightly, and leaves. Elias waits until he’s left the Institute to collapse into his chair. That threat should hold for now, but it’s only a matter of time before Georgie dies or Jon decides his need to know is greater than her life. Elias wonders what he’ll do then.

He finds that he is eager to See.


End file.
